Government / Politics

Since the Japanese government spent $300 billion rebuilding Okushiri after a 1993 tsunami, things have taken a grim, ironic turn: with high-paying construction jobs leaving, so are young people who no longer wish to be part of a fishing economy.

January 11, 2012 - The New York Times

"Look out, Silicon Valley"-- A decades-long effort to bring technology-based firms to New York City is beginning to see a payoff, according to this piece from The Economist.

January 11, 2012 - The Economist

January 9, 2012 - John I. Gilderbloom

Cities and redevelopment agencies are pushing for legislation that give them a stay of execution. Meanwhile, cities are evaluating which projects will be impacted.

January 9, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

Citigroup is being sued for knowingly overstating ridership and advertising revenue projections for the Las Vegas monorail while soliciting investors for the system.

January 9, 2012 - Nevada Journal

The year 2011 may be remembered by some as the year planners began fielding objections about smart growth from Tea Party supporters. Nathan Norris offers his four-step process for responding.

January 9, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Nearly 10 years in the works, a connector between Oakland International Airport and the BART transit system is taking shape.

January 8, 2012 - The Contra Costa Times

New York University's 20-year expansion plan could become a dangerous precedent for overbuilding by bypassing the city's open space zoning rules, argues Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

January 8, 2012 - The Villager

With perhaps as many as 2 billion parking spaces in the US, planners and architects should "take seriously" the parking lot as an actual, useful public space.

January 7, 2012 - The New York Times

The results are in keeping with a federal goal to eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015 through grants and other measures to ensure permanent housing. Steve Vogel reports.

January 7, 2012 - The Washington Post

A lecture series explores the relation between city planning and urban violence. And who is to blame? The architect.

January 6, 2012 - Delft University of Technology

A 'peer review' committee advises that the legislature should refuse to authorize funding for the first phase of California's high speed rail project, citing a "immense financial risk" for the state.

January 6, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The 80s-era convention center on the far west side of Manhattan would be turned into a mixed-use development and a Malaysian gambling company would instead redevelop the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens.

January 6, 2012 - Bloomberg

Why rezone? John Farley summarizes the factors leading up to some of the city's biggest and more recent rezonings, as well as their impacts on on their surroundings.

January 5, 2012 - Thirteen.org

There's not a lot of talk about cities or urban issues among the Republicans running for president, according to this piece from Salon.

January 5, 2012 - Salon

Jobs of the future will be located in areas with some of the fastest bandwidth in the world -- and American is in sorry shape, writes columnist Thomas Friedman in The New York Times.

January 5, 2012 - The New York Times

Numerous projects and economic development efforts have brought newfound attention to downtown Oklahoma City over the last year. Now locals are wondering if the pace can continue.

January 5, 2012 - The Oklahoman

After decades of planning, a 20-mile light rail line in Honolulu is set to begin construction this March, despite persistent concerns over the project's cost.

January 5, 2012 - The New York Times

A recently implemented 10-cent fare increase is just one sign of Mayor Rob Ford's attacks on public transit in Toronto, according to this editorial from the Toronto Star.

January 5, 2012 - The Toronto Star

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the money will be going to the Illinois Department of Transportation to continue work on its high-speed rail project.

January 5, 2012 - U.S. Federal Railroad Aministration